I handle a lot of the comic book-based stuff at GamerTell. That has been a sad beat at times. I have to watch publishers torture my favorite heroes in ways Doctor Doom could only dream of. But lately, things have been wonderful. The Batman games have been excellent. Lego’s games are fun for kids of all ages, and their parents. Marvel: Avengers Alliance is a Facebook and mobile effort better than several of its console peers.

Then, something like R.I.P.D: The Game arrives. Wait, I’m not the comic book game review guy. I’m the guy that reviews games based on popular 70s sitcoms. Has my copy of Sanford & Son: The Game gotten here yet?

I confess, I never read the R.I.P.D. comic book. It has to be better than both the movie and game based on it. How do I know that? Because somehow it survived long enough to have a movie and game based on it.

It’s obvious this thing had to be rushed out at the same time as the movie. The only hope was that a few people would love the movie enough to drop $10 on this. Unfortunately, the film was a bigger bomb than the game. I draw that distinction only because there’s no indication they blew $200 million making the game.

I’ve played demos for games not releasing for another year that were more finished than R.I.P.D. Gunfire makes no sound. Of course, they don’t make much of an impact on the enemies either. Maybe we’re all firing blank.

The whole “undead lawmen” schtick is a ruse. We’re all in hell here, good guys and bad guys alike. We are doomed to fight each other with pop guns, poor melee and eerie silence. There’s no voice work. This is the point at which Ryan Reynolds suddenly got too proud or too busy to be connected with this franchise?

Sometimes these licensed games are so bad they’re good. That’s not the case here, it’s just bad.